By A.K. Dugan, Lebanon Express writer | Posted: Wednesday, June 14, 2006 12:00 am
The city budget for 2006-07 goes before the City Council tonight for adoption. The $33.7 million budget - $46 million when the city's three urban renewal districts are included - was approved by the city's Budget Committee on May 3. Time is scheduled during tonight's meeting for public comment before the council takes a vote.
Urban renewal districts (URDs) are funded from property taxes for the purpose of improving streets and other infrastructure in specific areas.
The city's revenue includes nearly $6 million in taxes and assessments, $2.3 million in licenses and permits, $ 4.2 million from other governments and $5 million in charges for services.
The largest revenue category, $22 million called other sources, includes a $17.7 million cash carryover from the present year plus loans and grants. The city routinely carries funds over from year to year for a number of purposes, including money set aside for future equipment purchases or to pay off bonds and loans, grant funds that are for multi-year projects, trust funds, and contingency.
About $5 million in revenue in the budget is shown as transfers between departments. State law requires that it be budgeted both as revenue and expenses, though it inflates the amount of the budget.
The budget supports seven city departments: police, library, senior services/dial-a-bus, public works, community development, finance and information services.
The city staff is led by city administrator John Hitt, with a manager in charge of each department.
€ The Lebanon Police Department has a proposed budget of nearly $3.1 million. The traffic team is budgeted at $197,600 in a separate fund.
Chief Mike Healy supervises the activities of 23 sworn officers, 10 non-sworn dispatchers and clerks, and seven unpaid reserve officers. The proposed budget calls for increasing that by one, a non-sworn community services position, to assist Neighborhood Watch groups, organize citizen's police academies and Seniors and Law Enforcement Together (SALT) and coordinate other activities between police and the community. The budget also includes money to purchase a radar trailer to remind drivers of their speed.
Police answered just over 13,500 calls in 2005, an increase of almost one-third since 2000.
€ Lebanon Public Library has a proposed 2006-07 budget of $340,000.
Director Denice Lee is in charge of all library activities. The library is open 40 hours in a six-day week with a paid staff of seven (including Lee), most of them working part-time, and 30 volunteers. One part-time employee is being added to allow better supervision and service in the children's area. Circulation is rising close to 100,000 books and other items annually.
Some library activities are supported by separate dedicated funds, such as $4,000 for children's books from the Snedaker Trust.
€ Senior Services/Dial-a-Bus is budgeted for $143,562 for senior services and $222,500 for Dial-a-Bus.
Program Manager Kindra Oliver oversees activities for the Senior Center and Dial-a-Bus with the help of a receptionist/dispatcher, one Dial-a-Bus driver, and a host of volunteers. The 2006-07 Dial-a-Bus budget calls for an additional part-time driver. Since the move last year to the new and larger location at Academy Square, the Senior Center has added new activities. The average daily attendance at the center is 75. The Dial-a-bus operation, which is curb-to-curb, anticipates calls for 2006-07 to number nearly 15,000.
€ The Public Works budget of roughly $26.9 million is spread across several departments, including engineering, capital projects, parks, maintenance and the water and wastewater utilities.
Director Jim Ruef oversees 38 employees.
The capital projects fund includes nearly $7 million in grant money for the Grant Street Bridge as well as nearly $1.5 million in an equipment acquisition and replacement fund.
The water utility is responsible for water treatment and water distribution/storage. Depending on the time of year, 1.7 to 3.5 million gallons a day of raw water are drawn from the canal and treated for distribution. A contractor, OMI, operates the water treatment plant; city workers maintain 54 miles of pipes and two two-million gallon reservoirs. The utilities 2006-07 budget is $2.8 million.
The wastewater utility collects wastewater and treats it for discharge into the South Santiam River. From 2.1 to 15 million gallons a day of raw sewage are treated daily, depending on the time of year. OMI operates the wastewater treatment plan. City workers maintain sewer lines. The wastewater utility has a proposed budget of $3 million.
The water and waterwater utilities are self-supporting enterprise funds.
€ The Community Development budget is about $1.4 million.
Manager Doug Parker coordinates planning, building and engineering development services. Building services are self-supporting from fees paid by contractors. Due to a high level of activity, a receptionist position is being added at the Community Development Center, 853 Main St.
€ The Finance department is budgeted at $572,000 in 2006-07.
Director Casey Cole is in charge of billing for water and sewer services, investments and general accounting. He oversees four clerks in the finance department as well as two municipal court clerks. The municipal court budget is proposed at $273,000 for processing citations, city ordinance violations and vehicle offenses.
€ The Information Services budget of about $500,000 is supported primarily from transfers from other city departments. Expenses include all the city's phone bills and computer equipment. pays phone bills for whole city.
Manager Tom Oliver is in charge of maintaining the city's computer and telecommunications systems and also supervises the Geographic Information System GIS) specialist. The GIS system is used by all departments for mapping. Data is integrated in to the system.
Two positions listed in the budget - city attorney and municipal judge - are contracted positions rather than employees.
The city attorney is budgeted at $34,095 for the coming year, a drop of about $10,000 from the current year. He prosecutes misdemeanors in municipal court, drafts ordinances and other legal documents, and represents the city in general litigation. The municipal judge has a $36,308 contract.